I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wall. My heart felt like it was being squeezed, and I could not breathe right. Ethan’s words never left my mind even for a second. I was stressed and now. All I could think of was Ethan going to Japan alone.It was my fear. But can he actually think of that?After everything we had been through to settle here, to build something stable for Andrew? And me? And us?I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to make sense of it all. I didn’t want to be angry, but I could not help it. How could he think that money, no matter how much, was worth tearing our family apart? I knew Ethan was ambitious. He had always been but this felt different. It felt like he was willing to leave us behind for an attractive opportunity used to lure him in. One thing I could not quite understand was his sudden interest in that. We were far from being poor so it was disgusting that he still wanted more. I sighed heavily, reaching for my phone on the bedsi
Reina It was late, past midnight. The house was unusually quiet, with only the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen breaking the stillness. I could not sleep. My mind kept circling back to the conversation Ethan and I had earlier. It felt unfinished, like we were stuck at a crossroads, neither of us willing to move forward, but also not ready to back down.I decided to get up and get some water. As I walked toward the kitchen, I heard faint noises coming from our bedroom. My steps slowed, and I strained my ears to listen. It was the unmistakable sound of drawers being opened and closed.Filled with so much curiosity, I turned back and headed toward our room. I pushed the door open gently, not wanting to make a sound. The sight that awaited me made my heart drop.Ethan was standing by the wardrobe, pulling out clothes and laying them on the bed. His suitcase was open, half-packed, with his shirts neatly folded on one side. I froze at the door, trying to make sense of what
Reina I stayed on the couch for what felt like hours, replaying Ethan’s words in my head. He was leaving. For Japan. For money. For his dream. And there was nothing I could do to stop him.My thoughts were a tangled mess of anger, sadness, and confusion. Part of me wanted to scream at him, to demand he choose us over that job. But another part of me was too tired, too broken. I was exhausted from trying to hold us together.I heard Ethan moving around upstairs again, the sound of him zipping up his suitcase making my heart clench. It was really happening. He was leaving and that was it. Just as I was about to get up and confront him again, my phone buzzed on the coffee table.I wiped my face with the sleeve of my sweater and reached for it, hoping it was not some random notification that would only make things worse.When I saw Leonard’s name flash on the screen, my stomach dropped.I had not spoken to Leonard since our last encounter at the mall. Ethan had been so adamant about
Ethan It was morning so quickly and it was funny how fast the week went by. I stared blankly at the suitcase open on the bed, half-packed with clothes I was not even sure I needed. Leaving for Japan was a step I could not take lightly, and yet, I was packing. As I folded another shirt and placed it in the suitcase, my mind raced. I knew I was being selfish. I knew this decision would wreck her. But I needed this deal. For once, I had to think about the future, about what could be better for us, for Andrew. The kind of money they were offering, it wasn’t just a job; it was a chance for us to never worry again. But deep down, I knew it was not just about the money. Things had shifted between Reina and me, and I could not pretend otherwise. Japan was not just an escape for making more money. It was an escape from her, from everything that had become complicated, messy, and suffocating. She was not the same, and neither was I. I heard soft footsteps behind me. I didn’t have
I was yet to believe that all that Leonard told me was true. But, I had another thing ahead of me. I woke up early and the housekeeper dressed Andrew for school. I had to go drop him off and I didn't leave him without planting a kiss on his cheek. Ethan was out of the picture in my life now. We have refused to speak to each other and I had decided not to dwell on it. Instead, I threw myself into work. Today was about to get interesting for me. I had an important presentation for a potential client. I was nervous but as usual, I trusted myself. We started work immediately at the fashion house, preparing designs and work. “Reina, over here!” Kayla called, motioning me to her office. I hurried over, clutching my portfolio tightly. “Good morning, Kayla.” “Morning. Are you ready for the pitch?” “As ready as I will ever be.” I tried to sound confident, but my hands were clammy. Kayla placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “You have got this. The client is very picky and
EthanI have decided to leave for Japan without telling my wife and son. It would sound crazy to you, but I don’t think I can allow a woman to control me anymore. It is like I have been walking on eggshells in my own house, trying to be the perfect husband, the perfect father. I can’t breathe.I stood in the living room last night, staring at the photo of us on the wall. Reina, my forever beautiful wife, with her perfect smile, and Andrew, our son, laughing on my shoulders. A picture-perfect family, people would say. But pictures lie."Where are you going at this hour?" Reina’s voice jolted me out of my thoughts. She stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, suspicion dripping from her voice. We have not talked for days and now suddenly she's saying all these. Sigh a joke. "Just… clearing my head," I said, avoiding her gaze."Again?" she snapped. "You have been distant for weeks and have been refusing to speak to me just because I refused not to buy your idea about going to Japan.
Reina I had gone back to my workaholic side as I was patiently waiting for Bruce to come up with any information about Helen. In a week's time, I was going to show her the updated design that she wanted. And for her dinner? I changed my mind from attending her dinner. I just was not feeling it. I didn't get anything from her, no text and no call. She was either cool with it or not. The day passed slowly and I was at home, working endlessly on the design. The house was very quiet without Ethan and Andrew was at school. I tried to wrap up my work for the day earlier than usual. Yet, I felt restless, like something was crawling under my skin. I stood by the kitchen sink, staring out the window. The sunlight shone aggressively on the leaves outside the house but it didn’t make me feel cheerful or any better. I thought of Ethan who had long boarded the plane to his destination, now he was flying somewhere far away. Why didn’t I stop him? My phone buzzed on the counter, pulling
Ethan I was at the other airport where I will take a plane straight to Japan. The airport was still so loud and bustling, but I felt completely disconnected from it. People hurried past me and they all looked like they had no worries in their life. My life felt like it was stuck in an impossible loop. I sat with my suitcase at my feet, staring at the boarding pass in my hand. My flight straight to Japan was in an hour. Everything I had worked for was finally coming together, yet it still felt wrong. I picked up my phone, scrolling through the messages Reina and I had exchanged. There was nothing special about it. They were very brief, distant, and polite. Nothing like what we used to be. I stared at the screen, debating whether to text her again. I had said I would call, but I could not. Not yet. I didn’t have the words to fix this. Was I really leaving my family behind? It all felt like a dream but it was a decision I had made. My thoughts were interrupted by the
ReinaI was wiping down the kitchen counter when the doorbell rang. Andrew was upstairs, resting after a long day of physical therapy, and Ethan had stepped out to pick up a few things from the store.It was odd for someone to come by unannounced, especially at this hour. I wiped my hands on a towel and I headed for the door to check who was there. I was so curious and at the same time cautious that I checked the security camera three times. When I opened it, my heart stopped. I thought I was dreaming or something. “Evans,” I whispered, gripping the doorframe right. He was standing there, looking exactly as I remembered him. He was quite tall, with those piercing blue eyes and well shaved beards. But seeing him now didn’t fill me with the same warmth it once did. Instead, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been splashed over me.“Reina,” he said, his voice soft but steady. “I hope I’m not intruding.”“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. He w
Ethan “Our anniversary was tomorrow?!” That was my exact reaction when I checked the calendar and I saw that I had long forgotten the date of our anniversary . An idea had come to me while sitting in the car, waiting for Reina to return from the grocery store. Our anniversary was tomorrow, and I wanted to do something special. Something that would remind her of the good times we had shared before everything got complicated.I had been racking my brain all week, trying to come up with the perfect plan. Reina deserved something meaningful, something that was not just flowers and a card. She needed to see how much she meant to me.“Okay, Ethan,” I muttered to myself as I parked in front of the house. “You will get our way around this.”The plan was simple yet heartfelt. I was planning a surprise dinner at the place where we had had our first official date before we got married. It was not the fanciest restaurant, but it held a special place in our hearts. I had reserved a private cor
Reina“I want to support you,” he said. “In everything. Just tell me how.”“I will of course. You have to write me some checks,” I responded and winked at him. I sat there, my coffee cup in hand, still warm but untouched. My mind was racing. So much had happened in the past few days. Andrew’s illness, the fear, the worry and now, with him finally waking up and starting his recovery, things were slowly returning to normal.But there was something else on my mind. It was Ethan. He had changed. In the best way possible. After everything that had happened, after all the mistakes, I hadn’t expected this. I could not help but worry about how he had been surprising me with little gestures. The breakfast in bed, sweet notes hidden in my purse or jacket pocket. He was not perfect, and neither was I, but somehow, it felt like we were slowly finding our way back to each other. We were slowly finding out long lost love. I glanced at the note I found this morning. It was simple, yet the word
Reina“Are you going to work today?” Ethan’s voice broke the silence at breakfast.I glanced up from my plate, startled by his tone. It was not the regular cold or distant tone and it was almost… soft. He had been trying to be different lately especially after Andrew's was back from the hospital and I didn’t know how to feel about it.“I’m not sure,” I replied, poking at my food. “I might work from home.”“Good,” he said. “You have been stressing yourself. You need rest.”I blinked, unsure of how to respond. This was not the Ethan who used to complain about my hours or make sarcastic remarks. I kept quiet and continued eating.When I returned to the bedroom later that morning, something caught my eye. There was a tray on the bed. I could not remember keeping any tray on my bed. I also noticed that there was a cup of tea, a bowl of fruit, and a small note on the bed. The note read:“ You have been carrying too much on yourself lately. Let me take some of the weight. Allow me.”I s
Reina POV“Do you think he’ll wake up today?” Ethan’s voice broke the stillness of the room.The room was quiet as usual and even if a pin dropped to the floor it would be heard. I glanced at Andrew, who was still lying on the hospital bed. He was looking fragile as always and the machines were still giving him the support that he needed. “I have no idea, sweetheart. I wish he could wake up today. It would be a relief. Don't you think so?”I asked and I reached out to brush a strand of hair off his forehead. “I want that to happen too. It would be a miracle.”“He has to wake up,” I said firmly, though my heart trembled with some doubts. I was uncertain about what was happening. “I can feel it. He is going to open those eyes and look at us.”Ethan sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I wish I had your faith.”I turned to him, my eyes narrowing. I was the most pessimistic person but, somehow I had a little faith in me. “You do. You are just scared to admit it.”He stared at me for a
Reina POV The hospital was lit with some fluorescent lights and I was having chills all over my body as I remained there. I was just like a patient who was admitted there. I hated hospitals. Who doesn't, by the way? By this time of the day, the hospital was quiet and the silence was not really comforting. It just kept reminding me that there was a battle Andrew had to fight alone. I didn’t think it was possible to feel this helpless. Sitting in that chair, watching my son fight for his life, knowing there was nothing I could do but wait, it was agony. Ethan was not himself. He was pacing around the room again. “You are going to create a hole in the floor if you don't stop,” I murmured to him. My voice was low and strained. He stopped mid-step, turning to look at me. “I can’t sit still,” he admitted. “Not when he’s in there, fighting for his life.” “I know how you feel Ethan. I feel the same way. ” I said, more to myself than to him. “He has to be strong so that he can com
Reina “Alive?” Sickness was cruel. No one deserves the kind of pain myself and Ethan had passed through since Andrew took I'll and was admitted in the hospital. I sat frozen by Andrew’s hospital bed, staring at his small frame covered in wires and tubes. My son, my sweet boy, was fighting a battle that I could not fight for him, and it was tearing me apart. I wish I could fight this battle for him. I wish I could step in and take all the burdens but, I can't. I can only hope. Again, the same thing the doctors have been saying was that the surgery went well but the critical hours following were crucial. I held up his tiny hand, willing him to wake up, to smile at me, to tell me everything would be okay. But he didn’t say a thing. His pale skin was all I could see and the shallow rise and fall of his chest all felt like a nightmare I could not wake up from. “Reina,” Ethan’s voice broke through the haze. He was standing at the foot of the bed, his hands buried in his pockets,
Ethan Reina looked up at me, her eyes filled with both hope and fear. “We are going to get through this, right?” I nodded, though my throat felt tight. “Of course, yes. We are together. Don't forget. ” And in that moment, I knew we had no choice but to keep fighting for Andrew, for each other, for our family. Finally, we were both with him after waiting for hours. Waiting. That was all we could do before being let in. Wait and hope. The clock on the wall seemed to move slower than usual, its ticking loud and relentless, as if mocking us. I sat in the sterile waiting room, the faint smell of antiseptic in the air. Reina was beside me, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her knuckles were already white but she didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes stayed fixed on Andrew and I'm glad we were both seeing him. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything would be okay, but how could I when I didn’t even believe it myself? For hours, Andrew has been in there, fighti
Ethan “Mr. and Mrs. Ethan,” the doctor said as he approached us in the waiting room. His voice was calm, but the tightness in his expression betrayed the gravity of the situation. “We have done everything we can to stabilize Andrew, but his condition has deteriorated. He needs surgery immediately.” The words hit me like a truck. My knees almost buckled, but I gripped the edge of the chair to prevent myself from falling. “Surgery immediately?” Reina’s voice cracked as she stood up beside me. “What kind of surgery?” “We need to address the complications caused by the infection. If we don’t operate now…” The doctor hesitated, and his eyes moved between us. “Just say it,” I barked in a sharp voice. I sounded so desperate of course, I just wanted my child to get out of this damn hospital. “If we don’t, his chances of survival are very slim.” The room spun, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Reina let out a soft, choked sob and covered her mouth with her hands. “How soon